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Esperanto for Beginners Trivia Quiz

With several million speakers worldwide, Esperanto is the most successful artifical language to date. Here are 10 beginner questions about the language invented in 1887 by occulist L. L. Zamenhof.

A multiple-choice quiz by oofahlandian. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
oofahlandian

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
229,932

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
887

Last 3 plays: Guest 82 (9/10), Guest 82 (9/10), Guest 87 (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Encountering a fellow Esperantist ("samideano"), you might greet him or her by saying "Bonan tagon!" What does "bonan tagon" mean in Esperanto? Hint

It's nice to meet you!

Good day! Hello!

Where have you been?

Do you speak Esperanto?

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In Esperanto, what are "unu", "du", and "tri"? Hint

"mother", "father", and "son"

The three basic variations of Esperanto

"the father", "the son", and "the holy ghost"

"one", "two", and "three"

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Question 3 of 10

3. An Esperanto speaker ("Esperantisto") who has never seen a gummy bear in his life before might point to it and say "Kio estas tio?" What is he asking? Hint

What is that for?

Where did that come from?

What is that?

That is unusual.

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Question 4 of 10

4. What is true of the following Esperanto words: "tablo", "sofo", "televidilo", and "lampo"? Hint

They are all things you are likely to find in your kitchen (dining room)

They are all things you are likely to find in your living room (family room)

They are all things you are likely to find in your bathroom

They are all things you are likely to find in your garage

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Question 5 of 10

5. If something is described in Esperanto as "blua", "verda", and "granda", what is true about it? Hint

It is blue and green and very showy

It is shallow, hoarse, and wet

It is long and very complicated

It is blue and green and large

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Question 6 of 10

6. What do the following Esperanto words represent: "viro", "studento", "laboristo", and "policisto"? (Look at the words carefully.) Hint

places

people

things

ideas

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Question 7 of 10

7. What kind of things do the following Esperanto words represent: "muso", "hundo", "insekto", and "kato"? (Say them to yourself as you think they are pronounced. It might be easier.) Hint

Cars

Animals

Buildings

Famous Landmarks

8. In Esperanto, to make a word mean the opposite of the root word, you just need to add the prefix "mal--". "Bela" is "pretty" while "malbela" is "ugly". Which of the following adjectives means "old"? Hint

malnova (mal + nova)

None of these

Both of these

maljuna (mal + juna)

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Question 9 of 10

9. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera",
"fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto nouns end in? Hint

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Question 10 of 10

10. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera",
"fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto adjectives end in? Hint

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Encountering a fellow Esperantist ("samideano"), you might greet him or her by saying "Bonan tagon!" What does "bonan tagon" mean in Esperanto?

Answer: Good day! Hello!

"Bona" is an adjective meaning "good" and "tago" a noun meaning "day". The first word has its roots in the Romance languages, while the second is based on the German word having the same meaning.

2. In Esperanto, what are "unu", "du", and "tri"?

Answer: "one", "two", and "three"

"Mother", "Father" and "Son" would be "Patrino", "Patro", and "Filo", and while there are one or two variations of Esperanto, all of them have these three words, the first three ordinal numbers: "one", "two", and "three". Their origins lie in the Romance languages.

3. An Esperanto speaker ("Esperantisto") who has never seen a gummy bear in his life before might point to it and say "Kio estas tio?" What is he asking?

Answer: What is that?

"Kio estas tio?" translates as "What is that (thing)?" To say "What is that for", you must re-arrange the words, because Esperanto forbids sentences ending in prepositions: "Por kio estas tio?"

4. What is true of the following Esperanto words: "tablo", "sofo", "televidilo", and "lampo"?

Answer: They are all things you are likely to find in your living room (family room)

These words, which can be divined from their spelling, translate to "table", "sofa", "television", and "lamp". The word for "living room" in Esperanto is "salono".

5. If something is described in Esperanto as "blua", "verda", and "granda", what is true about it?

Answer: It is blue and green and large

"Blua" and "verda" are both colors. "Granda" means "big" or "great", but not in the sense of "grandiose", which is "grandiosa".

6. What do the following Esperanto words represent: "viro", "studento", "laboristo", and "policisto"? (Look at the words carefully.)

Answer: people

Two of the words end with the suffix "-ist-" which indicates a professional (like the suffix -ist" in English). The words translate to: "man" (think "virile"), "student", "worker" (think "labor"), and "policeman".

7. What kind of things do the following Esperanto words represent: "muso", "hundo", "insekto", and "kato"? (Say them to yourself as you think they are pronounced. It might be easier.)

Answer: Animals

The words mean: "mouse" ("muso"), "dog" ("hundo"), "insect" ("insekto"), and "cat" ("kato").

Answer: Both of these

I hope you figured it out! "Juna" means "young" while "nova" means "new". The opposite of both adjectives is translated into English as "old".

9. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera", "fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto nouns end in?

Answer: O

All nouns in Esperanto end in --O (ALWAYS pronounced "oh"). They are made plural by adding --J. The diphthong --OJ is always pronounced "oy" as in "boy".

10. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera", "fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto adjectives end in?

Answer: A

All adjectives end in -A and A is always pronounced "ah" as in "father". If the noun it modifies is plural, the adjective will take a --J at the end: --AJ, which is always pronounced "I" as in "like".

Hope you enjoyed your first taste of Esperanto!

Source: Author oofahlandian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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